It's amazing, really, how one game can change everything after eight months of uncertainty at the position.

It's convenient, too, and that's a thought worth holding onto as the Spartans head to South Bend to face Notre Dame next week.

As good as Cook looked against Youngstown State, he missed a few open receivers, and for the second time in three games, he had a would-be interception dropped.

But the week leading up to the rivalry game with the Fighting Irish will be one filled with compliments from the coaching staff and positive feedback from the players in East Lansing. No one will be looking to borrow trouble after unimpressive wins against Western Michigan and South Florida.

The underlying storyline this week, which will likely be suppressed by Dantonio and his coaches, involves the competition for the No. 2 job at quarterback.

Dantonio said that will continue to play out.

Will it be Tyler O'Connor, who looked merely adequate on Saturday against the Penguins, completing 7-of-10 passes for 68 yards?

Or will it be fifth-year senior Andrew Maxwell?

Remember him?

Maxwell is the guy who did nothing to lose the job except have four of his passes dropped against Western Michigan in the opener.

Maxwell, after a 2012 season filled with dropped passes (66) and opponents' hits (22 sacks behind six different offensive line combinations), was put through spring and fall camps filled with live scrimmages.

Maxwell came out No. 1, only to get demoted after the 26-13 win over Western Michigan, the coaches deciding they wanted a more mobile quarterback to make plays should the receivers fail to get open or catch the ball consistently.

True freshman quarterback Damion Terry is also still waiting in the wings.

Dantonio indicated he's leaning toward redshirting Terry, who exactly four weeks before Michigan State's win over the Penguins put on a stellar exhibition in a scrimmage against the Spartans defense.

Terry's stat line in Spartan Stadium on Aug. 17: 10-of-14 passing, 240 yards, three touchdowns — against an FBS defense.

Spartans' co-offensive coordinator Dave Warner indicated the option of playing Terry this season might still exist.

"The jury is still out,'' Warner said. "It doesn't mean he's on the back shelf for the rest of the year, just means that this week he wasn't ready to go.''